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Month: September 2015

Voluntary Work Portfolio as a Pathway to Integration

Voluntary Work Portfolio was an international project from August 2013 to July 2015 funded by Nordplus Adult. It was a co-operation of three partners: University of Helsinki, Centre for Continuing Education (Finland), Volunteer Centre De Frivilliges Hus (Denmark) and Immigration and Migration Foundation Our People (Estonia).

What was the purpose of this project?

Objectives of the project were

to bring a new method to improve the integration process of immigrants,

to highlight the relevance of voluntary work as a new concept in integration processes,

to give transparency for voluntary work as an informal and non-formal learning environment,

To strengthen adults key competences and recognition of adult informal and non-formal learning.

As the project started, nobody could foresee, how useful of a tool the portfolio would be in 2015, when masses of refugees and asylum seekers will enter the boarders of Europe. Now, if ever, a portfolio, that can also bring into discussion the knowledge, skills and competences people have, is an useful tool for the documentation process. It can also serve as a curriculum vitae for those people that do not have any educational certificate to show.

What it is for?

Volunteer Work Portfolio is for

an immigrant and individual to reflect progress in personal development and career planning,

counselors to use for finding skills and competences with an immigrant,

teachers to use for teaching language as well as for discussion topics,

for third sector when planning their own voluntary activities for immigrants,

for reflecting on the work carried out during volunteering.

As a result of the two-year long creating, piloting and further developing the Voluntary Work Portfolio, it is now available in five languages: